1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an actuating device for executing a pre-set program, such as a television game, by operation of plural actuating units. More particularly, it relates to an actuating device enabling execution of a pre-set program such as game with good simulated presence feeling.
2. Description of Related Art
Heretofore, a game machine employing a television receiver includes a main body unit connected to a television receiver used as a display device and an actuating device connected via a connection cable to the main body unit of the game machine for controlling the display character displayed on a display screen of the television receiver.
The main body unit of the game machine has enclosed therein a disc driving unit for reproducing an optical disc as a recording medium having a game program recorded thereon and a picture processor for displaying a display character on the screen of the television receiver along with the background.
The actuating device connected to the main body unit of the game machine is provided with plural actuating buttons. The operator operates plural actuating buttons provided on the actuating device for entering the command information concerning the operation of a display character displayed on the screen of the television receiver to control the movement direction of the display character represented on the screen by way of executing the game.
The actuating device connected to this type of the game machine is used by being gripped with the hand or finger. Such an actuating device is in use in which a bearing indicating actuating unit having a cross-shaped or circular bearing indicating actuating button and a function setting executing unit having plural function setting executing buttons for setting the actuating functions of the display characters or executing the operations on one and the other sides of the main body unit, respectively. The bearing indicating actuating unit includes four switches, each having an operator which may be brought into or out of contact with a contact, arrayed at an angular interval of 90.degree. to one another. These switches are selectively turned on and off by the cross-shaped or circular bearing indicating actuating button for moving the display character. For example, the display character is digitally moved in the direction along which the one of the four switches that is turned on is arrayed. The function setting executing unit has switches arrayed in association with the plural function setting executing buttons, so that, by turning on the switches associated with the function setting executing buttons, the display characters allocated to the respective buttons are set, or the function owned by the display character is executed.
The above-described conventional actuating device executes the game by actuating the plural actuating buttons provided on the main body unit of the apparatus to command the operation of the display character displayed on the display screen. Simply the display character represented on the display screen is visually recognized, while the sound radiated from the speakers provided on the television receiver is aurally recognized to execute the game. That is, the actuating device actuated by the user with his or her hand or arm movements is actuated substantially by the hand or finger to enter the unidirectional command signal to the main body unit of the game machine.